AFL to review controversial AFLW conference system after major criticism

The AFL has finally admitted it will review its controversial AFLW conference system, which has been slammed in recent days after top teams North Melbourne and Melbourne failed to make finals because they’re both in Conference A.

North Melbourne won’t play finals despite winning five games in its debut AFLW season. Picture: AFL Media

The contentious conference system that has dominated AFL Women’s debate is in for a comprehensive review.

And the league’s competition committee will determine its fate.

The 10 AFLW teams were split into two five-team conferences and the top two teams from each conference will progress to this weekend’s finals series.

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The system has been slammed in recent weeks because the top four-performing teams in the competition all sit in Conference A.

Only the top two teams from each conference progress, leaving fourth-placed Melbourne’s season over, despite having the same points tally and a bigger percentage than Carlton, which will host a home final on Saturday after finishing atop Conference B.

AFL Women’s boss Nicole Livingstone, who backed the current conference system last month, on Monday said the system would be reviewed and be put to the competition committee next month.

North Melbourne won’t play finals despite winning five games in its debut AFLW season. Picture: AFL Media

“We’ll review how the conferences have gone in season No.3 and I think it’s really important for everybody to remember that we’re at season No.3 of AFLW,” Livingstone said.

“We’re in a very small window, and that window is also looking at the year calendar of where we play AFLW.

“We have gone with conferences — it will go to competition committee in April. It will have a full review and we’ll see what the decisions and the discussions are around that.”

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Livingstone cited cost as a factor in extending the length of the season and said the league had settled on “traditional” conferences to “make it easier to understand”.

Four new teams will join the competition next season and, while Livingstone said she believed the expansion would “lend itself to a conference system”, the competition committee would get the final call.

Geelong will play Adelaide in a preliminary final despite having the worst percentage in AFLW. Picture: Sarah Reed

A number of coaches backed the system on the final home and away weekend of the season and Demons coach Mick Stinear said “honest and robust discussion” would be worthwhile.

Fifteen cross-conference games were held in the home and away season and Conference A won 13 of those games.

Geelong has the lowest percentage of all 10 teams but will face Adelaide in a preliminary final on Sunday after finishing second in Conference B.

Livingstone said that the rules had been made clear from the start.

“Everybody knew what the rules of the AFLW was and that was the top two teams in each conference would go through,” Livingstone said on an AFL website video.

“We now have the gift of hindsight at the end of a conference system and competition to see what the win-loss ratio is, what the percentage is … you don’t know that when you set conferences at the start, you don’t know that when you put the rules in place.

“So everybody knew what the rules were. Everybody knew what they were in for.”

Originally published as AFL to review controversial AFLW conference system after major criticism